The Dan Wesson DWX In-Depth Review

The Dan Wesson DWX was the the handgun I was most excited about…back in 2019.  Then as I waited, COVID happened, supply shortages and it appeared that the DWX would never come to be.  It was arguably the perfect hybrid gun, CZ ergonomics, 1911 fire controls and Dan Wesson quality.  What was the hold up!  I thought the gun would never come to life.  Then after SHOT Show 2023 I was able to get connected with the great folks at Dan Wesson and was able to secure a media TE sample.  I told them my approach would be for the “gun nerds” out there and a deep dive in to this new platform.  

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My gun arrive and while I thought it looked sharp, I knew the red would have to go. Let’s get it out of the way, this gun also needs an optic. I know it was meant for the limited competition crowd, and it really does fit that bill well, but once you go dot it’s tough to go back. Regardless, I wanted to review and shoot the gun as is.

As you hopefully watched the video, this gun is truly a hybrid, and one heck of a shooter. Balance, recoil, ergonomics and parts are all what I expected from Dan Wesson. DW makes some great high quality guns, and the DWX didn’t disappoint. However I knew that I would would have to swap grips and trigger, the red had to go. Dan Wesson sells replacement triggers, even in black. My trigger required some minor fitting, gunsmith recommended if you don’t feel comfortable doing this work. The trigger, along with some new Shadow 2 grips from LOK Grips and this is one heck of a pistol. Note on grips, while Shadow 2 grips fit the DWX, it still uses 1911 grip screws which are an odd .150-50 UNS-2A thread, you won’t find them at your local hardware store. Make sure you order 1911 grip screws as well if you order grips.

Also the “receiver” was really well thought out and designed. While the DWX is new, I do wonder about what the future might bring for frames, slides and other parts to really grow the platform. In theory, once you have the serialized unit, you could build different types of guns, although disassembly is more complex than some of the other modular handguns. If you are familiar with complex disassembly of the 1911/2011 platform, nothing will be really that crazy on the DWX. Parts are high quality, no MIM anywhere and the all of the major parts are tracked with the serial number.

And of course I had to add a Trijicon SRO to really finish this gun, along with the Surefire X300 Turbo to complete the package. Overall this is a great handgun and really offers a lot, even before the optic cut. I had my slide milled by DSC Gunworks, I was very impressed by the work and service time. Be warned though that slide milling will void your warranty. We all know DW will likely also offer a factory optics version, but if you can’t wait options are available now.